Apparatus for producing modified twist crimped yarn



Dec. 6, M966 F. SCRAGG ESQA@ APPARATUS FOR `PRODUCINCT MODIFIED TWIST CRIMPED YARN Filed Sept. 21, 1964 NVENTQR United States Patent O 3,289,400 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MODIFIED TWIST CRIB/IPED YARN Frederick Scragg, Mobberley, England, assignor to Ernest Scragg & Sons (Holdings) Limited, Macclesfield,

England Filed Sept. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 397,827 Claims. (Cl. 57-34) The present invention relates t-o textiles and in particular to the thermal treatment of thermoplastic yarns.

It has already been proposed to provide twist-crim-ped yarns which have modified crimrp characteristics. Thus, it is known to produce a twist-crimped yarn and then to cause a characteristic of the yarn, such as, for example, its potential extension or contraction, to be modified by passing the crimped yarn over a heated plate while under an appropriate extension, contraction, or tension. rIhe second heating of the yarn will cause the amount of crimp to increase or decrease depending upon the choice of machine settings.

Apparatus for carrying out processes of the above type require structure for twist crimping the yarn in a conventional manner and then additional structure for further treating the yarn so as to modify its characteristics. Such additional structure may, for example, include means for forwarding the yarn in a relaxed condition while passing the yarn over a second heating unit. Also, in some cases the desired effects can be achieved by pretreating the yarn as by heating it while it is still in a at or untwisted condition, `and subsequently twist crimping the yarn, and in this case also prior to the conventional twist crimping ap-paratus it is necessary to provide addition-al apparatus for forwarding the yarn over a heater in addition to that which is used yduring the conventional twist crimping of the yarn.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will modify 4the characteristics of crimped yarn along the lines indicated above but which will require a less elaborate apparatus which can be accommodated in a smaller space without detracting from the quality of the treatment or the range Iof possible treatments.

`It is also an object of the present invention to provide for an apparatus of the above type a heating means which can be used in a plurality of ways providing different types of treatments for the yarn.

It is furthermore an object of the present invention to provide `a structure which can easily be adjusted to control the severity of the treatment of the yarn.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure which is capable of simultaneously t-reating a pair of yarns in less space than is conventionally required for treating a single yarn.

With these objects in view the invention includes, in lan apparatus for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, a heating means for heating the yarn, this heating means dening three distinct yarn paths along the heating means. A take-up means is provided for taking up the yarn. A guide means `is also provided f-or guiding a .pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths -of movement from a given starting location to the take-up means, and this pair of paths of movement provided by the guide means respectively extend separately along two of the yarn paths -of the heating means and together along the third of the yarn paths, so that each yarn will necessarily pass twice along the heating means. A pair of false twist means `are respectively located along the pair of paths of movement of the yarns for false twisting the yarns after they have passed at least once along the heating means, and a pair of tension control means are respec- CAD 3,289,490' Patented Dec. 6, 1966 ICC tively located along the pair of paths of .movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along the heating means, while travelli-ng through the pair of false twist means, and while travelling to the take-up means. In the description and the claims which follow, reference to tension control means for controlling the extent to which yarn is tensioned is intended to cover not only the situation where yarns are tensioned t-o a substantial degree but also the case where the yarn is substantially relaxed and may in fact have almost no .actual tension, so that the tension control means can control not only the extent of elongation of the yarn but also the extent of contraction thereof.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The `invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method -of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 sh-ows in front elevation a heating means according to the present invention with a cover thereof removed so as to show details of the heating means;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the heating means of FIG. 1 showing the cover thereof in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of one possible apparat-us according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of another .apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the heating means showing structure carried thereby for regulating the severity of the heating of the yarns; and

FIG. y6 .is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 in lthe direction of the arrows.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the heating means in the illustrated example includes an elongated electrical resistance heater l located behind and adjacent to a curved elongated wall 2, this wall being longitudinally curved, as is apparent from FIG. 2. The `curved heating wall 2 is located at the innermost part of ia longitudinal notch formed in ia cylindrical container 3, `and the space Ibetween the heater 1 and the inner surface of the container is filled with a suitable thermal insulating material 4, the conductors which are connected to the electrical heating element 1 being in turn connected to a thermostatic .automatic control unit 50 of a known construction capable of being adjusted to maintain the wall 2 at any one of a plurality of preselected temperatures. It is to he noted that while the temperature along the entire wall 2 may not be uniform the temperature of any one point -of the wall 2 will be uniform in :accordance with the adjustment of the unit 50.

Access may be had to the wall 2 of the heating means through the interior of the elongated notch 5 at the -front of the heating means, and a cover 6 is hinged at one edge to the container 3 lfor move-ment between the open position `shown in FIG. 2 and the closed position shown in FIG. 5.

The heating means of the invention defines three distinct 'yarn paths which are parallel to each otherI and arranged in side-by-side relation longitudinally 4along the curved wall 2 so that the yarn paths themselves are curved, and these yarn paths are formed by the longitudinal grooves 7-9, the .groove 8 forming an intermedia-te groove situated between the pair of outer grooves 7 and 9. The intermediate groove 8 may have `a radius of curvature different from that of the outer grooves.

A guide means is provided for guiding a` pair of yarns along a pair of paths of movement which respectively extend separately along two of the yarn paths 7-9 and D together along the third of these yarn paths, and this .guide means includes ryarn guiding portions at the ends of the heating means formed by the yarn guides and 11 which are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and which may ybe in the form of pig-tail guides. An adjusting means is provided for adjusting these yarn guiding portions 10 and 11, as described below in connection with FIGS. 5 `and 6.

A take-up means is provided lfor taking up the yarn, and the guide mean-s guides a pair of yarns from a given starting location to the take-np means along a pair of paths of movement which respectively extend separately along two of the yarn .guide paths 7-9 and together along the third of these paths. One possible embodiment of a yarn guide means is shown in FIG. 3 where a take-up means 22 is schematically illustrated. Thus, referring to FIG. 3, a pair of yarns are drawn from a pair of supply packalges 12 and 13, and in the case of package 12 the yarn is :guided by a `forwarding roller 14 along the path 7 of the heating means, the forwarding roller Withdrawing the yarn from the package 12 at a predetermined rate. After passing through the groove 7 of the heated wall 2 the yarn passes through the tl be of a false twist means 15 and then reaches a lfurther forwarding roller 16 of the guide means, and the peripheral speeds of the forwarding roller 16 has a fixed relation to the peripheral speed of the roller 14, usually a few percent less than the peripheral speed of the roller 14 in the case of contractile thermoplastic yarns. After passing beyond the false twist means 15 the yarn from the package 12 is guided by additional components of the guide means, such as suitable pig-tail [guides 17-20 to the intermediate path 8 through which the yarn is drawn by an additional forwarding roller 21, and the yarn moves beyond the forwarding roller .21 to the take-up means 22 in the form of a conventional rotary take-up package.

The peripheral speed of the forwarding roller 21, where` a rellaxed type of crimped yarn is required, is preferably on the order of 20% less t-han the peripheral speed of the roller 16, and the peripheral speed of take-tup by the package 22 is again slightly less than the peripheral speed of the forwarding roller 21.

The yarn from the package 13 is guided in a very similar -Way along a path which is mirror image of that along which the yarn lfrom the package 12 is guided. Thus, a forwarding roller corresponding to the roller 14 and operating in the same way withdraws the yarn from the pack-age 13, and the yarn then moves along the outer path 9 of the heating means to a false twist means identical with the false twist means 15, after which the yarn is forwarded by a roller identical with the roller 16 through lguides identical with the guides 17-20 also to the intermediate path 8 to the yforwarding roller 21 and then to the take-up package 22. Thus, the pair of yarns will pass once along the heating means through the outer paths 7 and 9 thereof, respectively, and then a second time together through the intermediate path 8. Of course, it is while the yarns are passing through t'he outer channels 7 and 9 that they are twisted and might have a tendency to become entangled i-f they were in a common channel, and of course such entanglement is avoided by maintaining the yarns at this time separate from each other in the outer channels 7 and 9. Inasmuch as the pair of yarns in the intermediate channel 8 are only partially relaxed and are not being twisted there is no danger of entanglement.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4 the heating means is used differently. In this case a pair of yarns are withdrawn simultaneously from packages 23 and 24 and are respectively passed through a pair of tensioners or stabilizers 25. Alternatively, if control of extension or shrinkage is desired, forwarding rollers may -be used instead of units 25. In this case the pair of yarns will rst pass together through the groove 8 of the heating means and then for each yarn the guide means includes the pig-tail guides 26 and 29 bringing the yarns back to a pair of forwarding rollers 30 respectively aligned with the outer paths 7 and v9 of the heating means, and from these rollers 30 the yarns pass simultaneously through the channels '7 and 9 to a pair of false twist means 31 and 34 which are aligned with the channels 7 and 9 and from which the yarns pass to a pair of `forwarding rollers 32 which have a peripheral speed properly correlated to that orf the rollers 30, as described above in connection with FIG. 3. From the forwarding rollers 32 the pair of yarns pass to a pair of take-up packages 33 which form the take-up means of this embodiment and which have a peripheral speed slightly less than that of the roller 32. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 4 both of the yarns will first pass through the intermediate path 8 and then respectively through the paths 7 and 9 before reaching the false twist tubes 31 :and 34 which preferably rotate in opposite directions.

The forwarding rollers may each take the form of a pair of nip rollers or each may consist of a roller and a spacer bar, the yarn being taken several times around the roller and over the spacer bar in a known way to obtain several driving laps of roller surface on the yarn. The temperature of the heating means is automatically regulated to a Value predetermined in accordance with the nature, denier and throughput rate of the yarn and the kind of crimping action to be performed.

It is possible to control the severity of the heating of the yarn by adjusting the yarn guiding portions 10 and 11. For this purpose the cylinder 3 carries at its top and bottom walls plates 41B (FIGS. 5 and 6) each of which is formed with three dovetail grooves 42 respectively aligned with the channels 7 9, and elongated members 44 are slida'ble in these grooves and also have a dovetail cross section, and the frictional resistance to sliding of the members 44 may be sufficient to maintain them in their adjusted positions or any suitable means may be provided for releasably xing the Imembers 44 in adjusted positions in the grooves 42, respectively. The members 44 respectively have extensions 46 which carry the pigtail guides, and thus, the upper set of members 44 will carry the guides 10 while in the same Way the lower set will carry the guides 11. By adjusting the positions of the members 44 in the grooves 42 it is possible to adjust the extent of contact of the yarns with the heated wall 2. Thus, if the members 44 are relatively distant from the paths 7-9 the yarns will be guided substantially along the entire length of the wall 2. On the other hand, if the guides are lsituated directly over the ends of the grooves 7-9 the extent of contact of the yarns with the wall 2 can be reduced, and if the Iguides are aligned with the central portion of the wall 2 between the ends thereof at the crest of the curvature of the wall 2 there will be a minimal contact of the yarn with the heating plate. In this way even though the temperature of the heating tmeans may not vary, by controlling the extent to which the yarns contact the heating means it is possible to regulate the severity of the heating of the yarns. Of course, the shorter the length of contact of the yarns with the heater the less severe the heat setting applied thereto.

As was indicated above, while the temperature may vary along the Wall 2 the temperature at any one localized area thereof will be maintained constant, and all of the channels 7-9 will be maintained at substantially the same temperature. In the case of FIG. 3 a normal crimping operation may be followed -by relaxation, and in this case the two yarns are respectively `given an S twist and a Z twist. However, since at this time the yarns are in the outer channels, respectively, there will be no tendency for the yarns to become snarled. While the yarns pass through the intermediate channel 8 they are given an amount of contraction which provides the yarn with the desired characteristics,

On the other hand, where it is desired to treat the yarns before twisting then they can be heated in flat condition prior to twisting with an arrangement as shown in FIG. 4, and the result will be a partially relaxed yarn having novel characteristics. In this case the yarns will initially be passed simultaneously through the intermediate channel 8, as shown in FIG. 4, so that the pretreatment is effected in this way, and after passing through the channel 8 the yarns are cooled while passing through the air while their direction is reversed. The forwarding rollers 30 act as twist stoppers, and in the outer channels of FIG. 4 the yarns are respectively given S and Z twists by the twist tubes 31 and 34, whereupon the pretreated and -crimped yarns are wound on the takeup means.

In both of the above embodiments where it is required that the degree of heat treatment between the first and second heatings be different, it is only necessary to adjust the intermediate members 44 differently `from the outer members 44 so that the yarns when passing along the central yarn path of the heating means will have a length of contact with the wall 2 which is different from the length of contact when the yarns pass through the outer yarn parts 7 and 10.

It is to be noted that in the embodiments of FIGS. 3, and 4 the pair of twist means are aligned with the outer yarn paths 0f the heating means and engage the yarn after having passed through these outer paths. Moreover it will be noted that in both embodiments both yarns move in the same directions through the three yarn paths of the heating means, whic-h is to say from the bottorn to the top of the heating means as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It will fbe understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also nd a useful application in other types of textile treating apparatus differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in thermally treatin-g textile yarns, it i-s not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to 'be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

`1. Apparatus for producing modified twlistacrimped yarn, comprising, in combination, heating means for heat* ing yarn, said heating means defining three distinct yarn paths along said lheating means; take-up means for talc ing up yarn; guide means for guiding a pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said take-up means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along two of said yarn -paths of said heating means and together along the third of said yarn paths, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means; a pair of false twist 1means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for false twisting the yarns after they have passed at least once along said heating means; and a pair of tension control means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pair of false twist means, and while travelling to said takeup means.

2. Apparatus :for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, elongated heating means for heating yarn, said elongated heating means defining three ydistinct yarn` paths which extend [longi- -tudinally along said heating means in side-byside relation; take-up means for taking up yarn; guide means for guiding a pair of yarns respectively along ya pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said takeup means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along two of said yarn paths of said heating means Iand together along the third of said yarn paths, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means; a pair of false twist means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for false twisting the yarns after they have passed at least once along said heating means; and a pair of tension control means respectively locate-d along said pair of paths of .movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pair of false twist means, andl while travolling to sai-d take-up means.

3. Apparatus for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, heating means for heating yarn, said heating means defining threel elongated substantially parallel yarn paths located in side-by-side relation along said heating means; take-up means for taking up yarn; guide means for guiding ya pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths of movement from a given start-ing location to said takeaup means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along two of sai-d yarn paths of said heating means and together along the third of said yarn paths, so that each yarn passes twice 'along said heating means, and said guide means guiding said yarns for movement in the same direct-ions along all of said yarn paths; a pair of false twist means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for false twisting the yarns lafter they have passed at least once along said heating means; and a pair of tension control means respectively llocated along said pair of paths of movement for controlling t-he extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pair of false twist means, and while travelling to said take-up means.

4. Apparatus for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, heating means for heating yarn, said heating means including a heating wall having an exterior -surface formed with three elongated grooves located in side-'by-side relation; take-urp means for taking up yarn; guide means for guiding a pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said take-up means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along ltwo of said grooves and together along the third of said grooves, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means; a pair of false twist means respectively located lalong said pair of pat-hs of movement for false twisting the yarns after they have passed at least once along said heating means; and a .pair of tension control means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for con-trolling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pair of false twist means, and while travelling t-o said take-up means.

5. Apparatus for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, heating means for heating yarn, said heating means including a heating wall having an exterior surface formed with three elongated grooves located in side-by-side relation; take-up means for taking up yarn; guide means for :guiding a pair of yarns respectively lalong :a pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said take-up means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along two of said grooves and together along the third of said grooves, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means; a pair of false twist means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for false twisting the yarns after they have passed 'at least once along said heating means; a pair of tension control means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while :passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pair of false twist means, and while Itravelling to said take-up means; 'and' means automatically controlling the temperature of said heating means.

6. Apparatus sfor producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, elongated heating means for heating yarn, said yheating means defining three distinct elongated yarn paths extending longitudinally along said heating means in side-by-tside relation and said heating means being longitudinally curved so that said paths are also curved; take-up means for taking up yarn; -guide means for guiding a pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said take-up means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately .along two of said yarn paths of said heating means and together Aalong the third of said yarn paths, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means, said guide means respectively having for each yarn a pair of yarn guiding portions respectively located adjacent opposed ends of said heating means; adjusting means operatively connected to said yarn guiding portions for adjusting the positions thereof relative to said heating means so as to control the extent to which the yarns are heated by said heating means; a pair of false twist means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for false twisting the yarns after they have passed at least once along said heating means; and a pair of tension control means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along sai-d heating means, While ytravelling through said pair of false -twist means, and while travelling to said take-up means.

7, Apparatus for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, heating means for heating yarn, said heating means defining three distinct elongated substantially parallel yarn paths along said heating means, said yarn paths being in side-by-side relation and including a pair of outer yarn paths and an intermediate yarn path between said outer yarn paths; take-up means for taking up yarn; guide means for guiding a pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said take-up means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along said outer yarn paths and together along said intermediate yarn path, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means; a pair of false twist means Irespectively located along said pair of paths of movement for false twisting the yarns after they have passed at least once along said heating means; and a pair of tension control means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned While passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pair of false twist means, and while travelling to said take-up means.

8. Apparatus for producing modified twist-crimped yarn, comprising, in combination, heating means for heating yarn, said heating means defining three distinct elongated substantially parallel yarn paths along said heating means, said yarn paths being in side-by-side relation and including a pair of outer yarn paths and an intermediate yarn path between said outer yarn paths; take-up means for taking up yarn; guide means for guiding a, pair of yarns respectively along a pair of paths of movement from a given starting location to said take-up means, said pair of paths of movement respectively extending separately along said outer yarn paths and together along said intermediate yarn path, so that each yarn passes twice along said heating means; a pair of false twist means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement in alignment with said outer paths for false twisting the yarns after they have passed along said outer paths; and a pair of tension control means respectively located along said pair of paths of movement for controlling the extent to which the yarns are tensioned while passing along said heating means, while travelling through said pai-r of false twist means, and while travelling to said take-up means.

9. Apparatus as recited in claim 8 and wherein said guide means guides said pair of yarns first along said outer paths and then along said intermediate path.

10. Apparatus as recited in claim 8 and wherein said guide means guides said yarns first along said intermediate path and then respectively along said outer paths.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,987,869 6/1961 Klein 57-34 3,041,814 7/1962 Held 57-34 3,077,724 2/1963 Stoddard et al 57-34 3,237,391 3/1966 Carruthers 57-34 X FOREIGN PATENTS 354,888 7/ 1961 Switzerland.

FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MODIFIED TWIST-CRIMPED YARN, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATON, HEATING MEANS FOR HEATING YARN, SAID HEATING MEANS DEFINING THREE DISTINCT YARN PATHS ALONG SAID HEATING MEANS; TAKE-UP MEANS FOR TAKING UP YARN; GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING A PAIR OF YARNS RESPECTIVELY ALONG A PAIR OF PATHS OF MOVEMENT FROM A GIVEN STARTING LOCATION TO SAID TAKE-UP MEANS, SAID PAIR OF PATHS OF MOVEMENT RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING SEPARATELY ALONG TWO OF SAID YARN PATHS OF SAID HEATING MEANS AND TOGETHER ALONG THE THIRD OF SAID YARN PATHS, SO THAT EACH YARN PASSES TWICE ALONG SAID HEATING MEANS; A PAIR OF FALSE TWIST MEANS RESPECTIVELY LOCATED ALONG SAID PAIR OF PATHS OF MOVEMENT FOR FALSE TWISTING THE YARNS AFTER THEY HAVE PASSED AT LEAST ONCE ALONG SAID HEATING MEANS; AND A PAIR OF TENSION CONTROL MEANS RESPECTIVELY LOCATED ALONG SAID PAIR OF PATHS OF MOVEMENT FOR CONTROLLING THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE YARNS ARE TENSIONED WHILE PASSING ALONG SAID HEATING MEANS, WHILE TRAVELLING THROUGH SAID PAIR OF FALSE TWIST MEANS, AND WHILE TRAVELLING TO SAID TAKE UP MEANS. 